Okuzeka
Politics & Government vocabulary · Constitution, Courts and Rights

Citizen

Meaning in politics & government, with examples

/ˈsɪtɪzn/nounCore term

In politics & government, citizen means: A person who legally belongs to a country, has the rights it gives, such as voting, and has duties towards it, such as obeying its laws.

In Turkish: vatandaş, yurttaş

How it is used

People are citizens of a country, become citizens or hold dual citizenship. Politicians and officials speak of citizens' rights, citizen participation and ordinary citizens. The legal status is citizenship.

Example sentences

  1. Every citizen over eighteen has the right to vote.

  2. The council wants more citizens to take part in decisions about local parks.

Common collocations

  • ordinary citizens
  • fellow citizens
  • dual citizenship
  • citizens' rights
  • become a citizen
  • human rightsThe basic rights and freedoms that every person has simply because they are human, such as the right to life, liberty, a fair trial and freedom of thought.
  • voterA person who has the legal right to vote in an election, or who actually votes in one.
  • stateA country considered as a political organization with its own government, laws and territory; also the permanent institutions that govern it.
  • civil societyThe organizations and groups outside government and business through which citizens act together, such as charities, associations, unions and community groups.

More terms: Constitution, Courts and Rights

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: